BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Lennick was born and raised in Minot, North Dakota. After graduating from high school, he worked for a utility company in the area and then joined the Army where he was a first lieutenant in the artillery. He attended...

In this interview, Mel Orenstein gives an account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and legal practitioner. He was born in 1926 on the North Side of Minneapolis and moved to the Selby-Dale neighborhood of St. Paul in 1938. He recalls that his...

Will Swanson (1947-) grew up in Minnesota and studied ceramics, art and design at the University of Minnesota. After working at Fairview Hospital for fifteen years, Swanson married Janel Jacobson and began making pottery full-time at their home...

In an oral history, Albert Bye describes his parents coming from Norway to Minnesota, his family life growing up starting with his birth in 1894, him being drafted during World War I, and his life as a young adult.

In an oral history, Mrs. Burton (Clara) Stanley relates the tough times as a child, not being able to start school until 8 years old in 1903, and only going until the 4th grade because she then had to go to work. She also talks about what various...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Koudela was a farmer from Alexandria, Douglas County. She was president of Save Our Countryside. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Initial involvement with powerline controversy. Background in community involvement. Learning about the...

Robert (Bob) Briscoe (1947- ) grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and studied pottery with James Vandergriff in Zarah, Kansas, then with Lou Wynne in Colorado Springs, before moving to Minnesota where he established his pottery studio and co-founded the...

Guillermo Cuellar (1951 - ) was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, grew up in Caracas, and came to the United States to attend high school. He subsequently studied ceramics at Cornell College in Iowa. After graduation he returned to Venezuela and...

In this interview, Jeff Oestreich (1947-) discusses growing up in White Bear Lake; early experiences with music and art; undergraduate education at Bemidji State University; graduate studies with Warren MacKenzie at the University of Minnesota;...

Richard Vincent (1955-) grew up in White Bear Lake and studied pottery in high school and at Lakewood Community College in Minnesota. In this interview, Vincent discusses his childhood; ceramics education; teaching experience; the establishment of...

Businessman Amos Heilicher (1907 - ) grew up poor and Jewish in St. Paul, Minnesota, during the Depression. As a teenager he started a coin-operated machine company that later blossomed into several successful businesses, including a national...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: The Fuchs were farmers and protest leaders from Belgrade, Stearns County. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How they learned about the line. Communicating with other farmers about the line. Preventing power company obtaining easements...

Rabbi Bernard Raskas (1924 - 2010), who led Temple of Aaron synagogue of St. Paul, Minnesota for 37 years, here gives a detailed account of his life and times as one of the most prominent leaders of the Twin Cities Jewish community. Highlights...

In this interview, Lynn Russ talks about sports at Wilson Campus School, the newly formed women's sports, what her daily life was like at Wilson and what she did after the school closed. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the...

In this interview, Theatrice ""T"" Williams (1934 - ) gives his personal background and reasons for arriving in Minneapolis in the 1960s as a social worker on the North Side. Williams describes his relationship with the Phyllis Wheatley Center...

Janet Koplos is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communications and earned a masters degree in art history from Illinois State University. She has been writing regularly on all art mediums for...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Hanson was raised on a farm and is a farmer in Pope County. He attended Alexandria Tech School and at the time of the interview was pursuing a degree at the University of Morris. In 1978, Hanson was the manager of Alice...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Hanson was raised on a farm and is a farmer in Pope County. He attended Alexandria Tech School and at the time of the interview was pursuing a degree at the University of Morris. In 1978, Hanson was the manager of Alice...

In this interview, Roz Baker (1923 - ) gives an account of her life as a Jewish native of Minneapolis. She relates her family background which includes an immigration story to the United States from Russia through Cypress in 1915. She describes her...

In this interview, Irving Stern (1928 - ) gives his perspective as mayor of Saint Louis Park and Minnesota state senator on local politics, commercial and residential development, and Jewish issues during his years in public service. The beginning...

Ron Meshbesher, one of the most well known lawyers in Minnesota, here gives an account of his career with special attention afforded to his major cases, the Jewish law community in Minnesota and anti-Semitism in the law community in general. He was...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University Professor of History Calvin (Cal) Gower on July 28, 1981, George Budd discussed his family history and educational background. Born in 1915 in Oswego, New York, Budd talked about pursuing...

Linda Christianson (1952-) grew up in Barron, Wisconsin, and studied ceramics at Hamline University (St Paul, Minnesota), and the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts (Banff, Alberta, Canada), before returning to Minnesota to start her own ceramics...

The Mankatonian was a monthly magazine published by the students at the Mankato State Normal School from 1891-1913. It was published during the school year and a few summer sessions and included: summaries of school activities (sports, clubs,...

In this interview, Warren MacKenzie (1924-) discusses his childhood and early experience with art; being drafted in 1943; his early ceramic education and studies at the Chicago Art Institute; his first wife, the late Alix MacKenzie, who was also a...

In an oral history conducted by St. Cloud State University Professor of History Calvin (Cal) Gower on October 18, 1982, Brendan and LaVerne McDonald described their family history and early education. Born in 1930 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Brendan...

William Asp served as Minnesota State Librarian from 1975-1996. In the interview he reflects on early 20th century resource sharing among libraries belonging to the Twin Cities Library Club, Regional Public Library System development, early library...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: The Jenks were farmers in Pope County and were members of Families Are Concerned Too (FACT). SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Farming background. First learning about the powerline. Routing of line-original route; Environmental Impact...

In this interview, Gene Broughten talks about his time at Wilson Campus School, the changes that happened in 1968, and what he did after Wilson closed. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History...

The oral history of Maybelle Skou and Bev Johnson describes life in Schroeder, Minnesota, in the 1950s and 1960s including a root beer stand in Schroeder, Minnesota, teen dances, square dances, Vivian Johnson and Tord Johnson, accidents and...

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Martin was born and raised on a farm in North Dakota. He served in the Air Force for four years and then attended the University of North Dakota where he received a degree in business administration with a major in...

Keith Meland (1938 - ) grew up in Saint Louis Park and was a long time city council member. In this interview, the history of the development of Saint Louis Park, city policies and goals regarding development and expansion of residential and...

In this interview, Ken Tilsen gives a brief account of his life as a Jewish Minnesotan and lawyer, touching also on Minnesota politics. He was born in Leipzig, North Dakota, to parents of eastern European heritage. An account is given as to why...

In an oral history, Mrs. Emily Cline describes her family coming to Crow Wing County in 1896, her life as a youngster in the Pequot Lakes area, and job working at a resort during the Depression, where she met several Hollywood movie stars.

The oral history of Patti Nelson describes the childhood of a commercial fishing family on Isle Royale off the North Shore of Lake Superior, Minnesota. Nelson recalls family members Stanley Sivertson, Howard Sivertson, and Betty Sivertson. Nelson...

In an oral history, Emery Dibble discusses several topics including moving to Crow Wing County via a covered wagon pulled by a team of oxen, a fire destroying all of his family's possessions, his mother having to work to support the family, his...

Roger Sween began his professional library career in Wisconsin at UW-Platteville before moving back to Minnesota in the mid-1970s. He worked at Red Wing Public Library and St. Cloud State University Library before he joined State Library Services,...

Milford Johnson Jr.'s spouse was Monica Wannebo Johnson. He is currently working at Reserve Mining Company. He was interviewed at Mr. Johnson's home in Two Harbors, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.

Lorntsen, Conrad, tape 1, side2, narrator. He was of Norwegian descent. His spouse Fern Williams Lorntsen was present throughout the interview. Mr. Lorntsen is retired. He was interviewed at Mr. Lorntsen's home in Beaver Bay, Minnesota, by...

Edie Abnet (1947-) is a painter who was married to the late Richard Abnet (1934-2011) , a potter and founding host of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. In this interview, Abnet discusses her husband's childhood in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and...

In an oral history, Burton Stanley tells of arriving in the Pequot Lakes area in 1900, riding on a logging train on a 50 below zero February day. He also talks about his work in the logging industry working with a team of horses, repairing early...